Fire Angels

Chapter 6 Part 3 Who or what is Shad?

Sorry for being a day late with this post.  In this part Dion has to face that Shad may not be who he claims to be.  Please vote for me.  It helps me gain readers.  

In the darkness a voice was calling.

"Dion! Dion! Where are you little mage?"

I knew that voice. But ... Who was it? I would answer and find out.

No! Bad idea!

"Dion. Little mage. I know you're there. Come out, come out where ever you are."

It was closer now. Suddenly I was very frightened. It mustn't find me. I crouched down as small as I could.

And opened my eyes to light.

I was in a strange room lying on a mattress. There was a killing pain behind my eyes as if my head was twice as full as it should be. My mouth tasted bad and I felt as if someone had kicked me in the stomach.

Someone was kneeling beside me. I struggled to rise, but firm hands held me gently back

"You must be quiet," a voice breathed softly in my ear. "The Witch Hunters are here and if you make a noise they will want to see you."

Witch Hunters! I was in Moria, in Annac. Tasha! I saw again the spiked fist the club, heard the screaming... A hand was clamped over my mouth. A heavy weight came down on my chest.

"No!" hissed a voice. "Stop it. Stop it. You must stop it or the Witch Hunters will kill us both. Calm now!"

I clenched myself up trying not to scream, pushing the memories away.

"That's right. Calm now," whispered the voice. "Calm. Gently." A hand was stoking my hair and my cheek. The weight lifted slowly off my chest. "That's right. Better now?"

The hand stroking my cheek was rough, but pleasantly so. I looked up and saw the man Shad leaning over me.

"You mustn't make a sound," He whispered. "Understand?"

I nodded and he pulled his hand carefully away from my mouth.

He helped me sit up, wincing as the change of weight on the mattress made the floor creak slightly, and gave me a cup of water. Gratefully I drank some of it and patted the rest over my face.

Shad was listening to something. Voices, the sound of heavy feet a few rooms away. Witch Hunters? God and angels! Tasha had used magic and they must have seen it and come. Probably from the monastery. It was horribly close.

We sat still, watching the door.

A pair of feet came heavily down the passage way towards us. There was the sound of a door being tried on the next room. We tensed.

Then a woman's voice loud and clear. Silva's.

"You'll need a key to look in there. All these rooms are locked until the Great Pilgrimage. Shall I try and find it for you?"

"No!" The voice was clipped, disapproving.

The woman's voice dropped. "Please Ren Benis, won't you tell me what you will do with my sister's body. When can we have it back to bury it?"

"You'll not get it back..." said the first voice.

Then another voice broke in from further down the hallway.

"She shall be burned, Enna Holyhands! She was a witch and must be burned to purify the land of her pollution. Her ashes will be thrown into a pit of lime. And just consider yourself lucky. We are satisfied for the moment with your tales. But we may well return with a Priest-Mage tomorrow to put you all to the mind search."